More than a century ago, some of Scranton's most prominent women placed a history of their lives and work in a tin box beneath their new building.

Their history became clearer Wednesday morning after University of Scranton maintenance staff members cut into the time capsule, pulling out newspaper clippings, pamphlets and photos documenting the local chapter of the Young Women's Christian Association.

The YWCA had the building at Jefferson Avenue and Linden Street constructed in 1907. It later passed to the university, which began demolishing the building in mid-September to make room for a $47.5 million rehabilitation and physical therapy center.

History professor Josephine Dunn, Ph.D., knew about the capsule from a 1907 Scranton Tribune article. She asked university officials to search for it as they had the building torn down.

The box's contents meant a great deal to Dr. Dunn, who has been researching the organization for seven years. An interest in the untold history of Scranton's women led her to study the YWCA.

"I thought there was probably a story here because of the amount of wealth and the progressive nature of the city," Dr. Dunn said. "So I started looking, and this organization came up immediately."

Founded in 1888, the organization drew an "eclectic mix of women," including Protestant church leaders, young professionals, married upper-middle-class women and working-class women, Dr. Dunn said.

"It was founded by women, run by women, basically all managed by women," Dr. Dunn said. "It sort of helped me identify the leading women of the community."

She said the YWCA message was "to bring girls to Christian living," so the organization often held gospel meetings and Bible studies. Among the objects that emerged from the capsule was an Oxford Bible, perfectly preserved in its box.

The organization also focused on developing practical skills. Some of the pamphlets in the capsule advertised the YWCA's educational opportunities, including English, math, sewing, chart-cutting, embroidery and German.

"If we have put one touch of a rosy sunset into the life of any woman, we shall feel that we have worked with God," one of the pamphlets read.

Much of the material in the box documents the lives and work of Scranton women and what was happening around them. It contained dozens of issues of "Our Young Women," a monthly pamphlet published by the YWCA.

It held a rare copy of "Our Woman's Paper," a one-time issue written and published by women in 1896 with the help of the Scranton Tribune. Dr. Dunn said the copy she had seen before was taped together and in poor condition. Though this copy's pages were yellowed, the print was perfectly legible.

"It will tell you everything women were doing in Scranton in 1896," Dr. Dunn said.

Some other notable objects found in the capsule were:

- Rosters and photos of YWCA members.

- An almanac printed by the Scranton Truth in 1907.

- Front pages from the Scranton Truth, May 4, 1907, and the Scranton Republican, May 6, 1907.

- A book titled, "Report of the First Biennial Convention of the YWCA," published in 1906. Dr. Dunn said it chronicles the founding of the national organization, of which Scranton was a charter member.

- Coins from 1904, ranging from a silver 50-cent piece to an Indian head penny.

The university will now make an inventory of the collection and place it in its special collections department in Weinberg Memorial Library, said Michael Knies, special collections librarian.

This could take a few weeks, he said.

Contact the writer at bgibbons@timesshamrock.com

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